Patrick Auld: It Depends

Understanding tradeoffs in tech, business, and people. I focus on small companies to scale ups and how to dive to first principles.

The hottest Substack posts of Patrick Auld: It Depends

And their main takeaways

Shadow Leave: How to Hand off Work

2 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24

💼 Business Management Leadership Workplace Delegation Productivity

Prepare before taking time off to avoid chaos. Let your team know you will be away and give them a chance to handle responsibilities.
Creating a 'shadow leave' phase allows you to see where help is needed. This way, you can fix any issues before your break.
Enjoying peace of mind is important. By preparing well, you can relax knowing your team can manage while you're away.

Rotation Programs

2 HN points • 07 Nov 23

💼 Business Employee Development Company Culture

Creating mini-internships for employees can improve skills and empathy.
Rotation programs help with employee development, empathy building, and company culture.
Setting ground rules, clear expectations, and careful planning are essential for successful rotation programs.

Tradeoffs of API Paradigms

5 implied HN points • 28 May 21

Choose an API paradigm based on the workflows you want to enable for your consumers
Understand the tradeoffs between REST, GraphQL, and RPC in terms of simplicity, flexibility, and precision
Tailor your API choice to match the needs and technical capabilities of your consumers, whether internal teams or external users

Build in Breaks

1 HN point • 07 Jun 23

💼 Business Productivity Meetings Team Collaboration Workplace well-being

Consider starting meetings five minutes later to allow for breaks and improve productivity.
Taking short breaks during the day can provide mental and emotional reset for better focus.
Building in breaks shows empathy for coworkers and can lead to a positive change in team productivity.

It Depends: Understanding tradeoffs in decision making

2 implied HN points • 18 May 21

Best practices have exceptions
All decisions involve trade-offs
The answer to 'what to do?' is usually 'it depends'

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Plan projects, not dependencies

0 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24

💼 Business Management Planning Dependencies Teams Organization

Plan projects over dependencies to increase speed and agility within teams.
Regular planning cycles are essential to align internal structures with customer needs.
Understanding and managing team dependencies can improve company velocity and decision-making.